Improvement in machinery for cutting soles of boots and shoes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. MALOY, OF CHARLESTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT lN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,496, dated May 12,1863.

{'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. MALOY, of Charlestown, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Soles for Boots and Shoes;and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with thedrawings which accompany and form part of this specication, is adescription of my invention sufficient to anable those skilled in theart to practice it.

This invention consists in the employment of a rocking frame having twogage-bars, which, in connection with the movements of a reciprocatingbed carrying two sets of cutters, serve as rests or stop-bars for theedge of the leather; also, in the employment of a yielding plate and aclearer, as will be hereinafter set forth, and in the method ofimparting a reciprocating motion to the knife-bed.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a vertical cross-section of mymachine, and Fig. 2 a top view of the cutter bed or plate.

A denotes the frame-work of the machine; B, the platen or follower,which works vertically in parallel ways C of the frame A, and has areciprocating motion given to it by means of connecting-rods D, operatedupon by crank-pins a, projecting from crank wheels or disks E, fixed onthe opposite ends of a horizontal rotating shaft, F. This shaft Fcarries a bevel-pinion, G, which works a bevehwheel, I-I, fixed on avertical rotary shaft, I. At the top of this shaft I is acrank, K, whosecrankpin b works in a cam-slot, c, formed in the under side of ahorizontal bed or frame, L, which carries the cutters or knives. Thisbed Lrests and slides upon parallel ways or guides M on the frame-workA, and has a reciprocating horizontal movement imparted to it by meansof the crank-pin b and cam-slot c. This bed carries two knives orcutters, d d', fixed in a removable plate, N, and the reciprocatingmovement is given to the bed so that each knife in turn shall be broughtunder the platen B. As the platen descends, it cuts a sole upon one ofthe cutters, and as it next ascends the other cutter will be broughtunder it to be operated upon in its next descent.

O is a rocker-frame, consisting of two restbars, s s, connected at theiropposite ends by two cross-bars, t t, which rock on pivots u u, fixed inbearings t n.

The leather to be operated upon is fed into the machine over a yielding'plate, P, which rests upon springs g g, and so that the plane of itsupper surface is just above the plane of the knife-edges, or in such amannerv that if the piece of leather is pushed in over the adjacentcutter d, (when the platen is not in contact therewith,) the plate Pwill keep the leather from resting upon or sliding against the edges ofsaid knife.

The operation of the machine is as follows: We will suppose the knife dadjacent to the plate P to be under the platen or follower B, (saidfollower being at its highest position, as seen in Fig. 1,) and theleather to be fed into the machine with its forward edge resting againstthe stop-bar s of the rocker-frame O, as shown by the red line in Fig.l, which may denote theleather. Rotation being now given to the shaft F,the platen B will descend, and duringsuch descentthecutter-frameLremainsstationary. As the platen comes in contact with the leather, one edge ofit forces down the yielding plate P so as to permit the leather to bepressed against and cut by the knife d. The opposite edge of the platenat the same time strikes against the stop-bar s, against which theleather was pressed, and tips it down against the surface of the bed L.This, as will be readily understood, tips up the opposite stop-bar s',the vtwo bars s s being now in the position shown by the dotted lines inFig. 1. During these operations the knife-\1 frame L has remained atrest, but as the platen rises (by the continuance of lthe rotary inotionof the shaft L) the cam-pin b, working in the cam c, will cause theknife-plate L to move over its ways M, so that at the end of said riseand preparatory to its next descent the other knife, d, will be broughtdirectly under the platen and be held there during the next descent ofthe platen. Meantime the leather, after having the sole cut from it, asmentioned above, will be fed in by hand, when its progress will bestopped by the stop-bar s (which has been tilted up for this purpose)and held in position for the next operation of the knife d, and duringthis feeding in the leather will be kept from rubbing over the edges ofthe knife d by the position of the yielding bar P, which, after thepressure of the platen is removed, assumes its first position. As theplaten next descends it presses the leather against the knife d',(causing another sole to be cut,) and in its descent it strikes againstthe stop bar s and tilts up the bar s to the position seen in thedrawings, and so that the leather in being fixed for the next operationof the knife will have its edge held in position against the side of thebar s. The edges of the stop-bars against which the leather is held notonly prevent the leather from being pushed through the machine, but areplaced in such relative position to the adjacent sides of the knives orcutters as to prevent all waste of material. The rotary movements of theshaft L continuing the above operation, will be repeated.

I am aware that a yielding table or plate for supporting the leather isnot new, as such is found in the patent of J. S. Shattuck, No. 24,141 5`but the yielding plate of his machine is on both sides oftheoperating-knife, and has to be raised up in order to allow his knives,arranged in a segmental knife-bed, to come into position to operate,while in mymachine the plate is made yielding merely for the purpose ofkeeping the leather as it is fed over the adjacent knife from scrapingover the edges thereof, and for this purpose is placed in closejuxtaposition to one side of said knife, as seen in the drawings. Thesoles as they are cnt out of the leather fall through the knives andupon a shelf, n, of the frame A, in the under surface of which shelf thecam-siot c is formed. To clear them from the machine a clearer or rod,p, extends out from the frame A, and in such manner that at eachbackward movement of the frame or bed L the soles will be pushed off ofthe shelf n, falling therefrom into any proper receptacle.

I would remark that instead of giving to i i. whole operating togetherand upon the leather to be cut, as above described.

2. The yielding plate P, when used with a horizontal knifebed, L, andfor the purpose of keeping the leather from contact with the edges ofone knife, d, as it is fed into the machine over to the other knife, d.

3. The stationary clearer p, when operating in conjunction with thereciprocating horizontal movements of the knife-bed, as described.

4. Giving to the knife-bed its reciprocating and intermittent motions bymeans of the cam c, pin b, and crank K.

Executed this 10th day of March, A. D. 1863.

JAMES W. MALOY.

Witnesses:

J. B. Gaosnv, FRANcrs GoULD.

